Pray For Our Persecuted Brothers and Sisters

[Editor’s Note: the following story is true. While this event did turn out alright, there are countless more reports of persecution of Christians that do not end so peacefully. As you read, try to imagine yourself being there and taking the place of our Christian brother and being on trial for your faith in Jesus.]

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“You will have to stand trial.” Alim (not his real name) sat in a chair, his hands sweating, as his brother continued, “They will come get you in the morning.”

What followed was a public trial in which Alim and another man were forced to answer to the local religious authorities for their belief in Christ. “Tell me, what have we done?” Alim asked. “Have we stolen from someone? Have we murdered somebody? If we have done wrong, we are willing to be judged, but tell us what we have done.” Much like Christ’s trial 2000 years ago, they were then faced with contradictory charges from false witnesses. Eventually, the man presiding over the trial held up his hand.

“I see no reason to condemn these men. They are moral men. They have faith in God. And they are willing to stand up for their convictions. If anyone stands condemned, it is you who dragged them here and are trying to condemn them with lies.” With that, he dismissed the charges and Alim and his friend went free.

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When I met Alim, he was sitting at a cafeteria table at a college campus in North Eurasia eating dolma and sipping tea. He and a few dozen other men and women from various countries in the former Soviet Union had come to hear a few men and women from Pioneer Bible Translators share about Bible Translation and Mother Tongue Ministry. Many of them were the only people in their families who knew Christ. Many had faced persecution from relatives and governments. Yet all of them radiated a peace and joy that I find uncommon.

During the week-long conference, they listened intently and asked many questions. They shared out of their hearts and their lives. They discussed the challenges they faced as they sought to reach their communities with the Gospel. They also responded to the challenge that my colleagues and I issued to realize that God has placed them in a position to reach people that we as Americans will never be able to.

In response to this challenge, they issued a challenge of their own. In different words and different ways, they said, “Come. Serve with us. Help us. Yes, we are here. This is our home. We have no choice but to be here. But we cannot do this alone. Teach us how to be translators. Teach us how to take the Gospel to different cultures. Pray with us in our streets. Live with us in our houses and see what God is doing and join in the work with us. Please do not be like so many others who have not seen us as equal brothers and sisters but have treated us like incapable children….”

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I feel like I learned far more than I taught at this conference. But the learning did not stop there for me. I spent the next couple of weeks in another country, the one my wife and I will be serving in. I was able to meet with brothers and sisters from other agencies to see what God is doing in the area. I heard others sharing things that fell in line with what I had heard at the conference.

Though the church is small and persecuted, it is none-the-less alive. They are a small but growing flame in a land of darkness. It even seems that the latest trials they have faced have been serving to unite them and strengthen their resolve to make disciples of every nation. They have already started to raise up and send their own people out across cultural lines, but they are asking for help.

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In Matthew 10:21-22 we read these sobering words, “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” It is hard to imagine that one of our own blood family members would turn against us and sentence us to death, just because we professed having a love for Jesus in our heart.

But such is the stronghold of some of the other religions of the world. In those religions, they demand complete obedience to the laws and customs of that religion, or face the possibility of certain death. It would be very hard I think to find a large percentage of our North American Christians who would be willing to stay true to Jesus under the threat of death.

And yet, in many other countries of the world, this is exactly what our Christian brothers and sisters face on a daily basis. And not only are they challenging our faith today, to stand up strong for our belief in Jesus, but they are reaching out to us asking us for our help. What can you do you say? First and foremost, we must pray for our persecuted family members.

And we must also find and financially support reputable mission agencies that are committed to sending out their people to live among these spiritually impoverished people groups and bring them the Word of God. Pioneer Bible Translators is such a mission. Will you partner with us as we go out ministering to the last unreached people groups for Christ around the world? Drop me a “Reply” message and let me hear from you.

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Dear Norm,
I hope you don’t mind me calling you by your first name, your Mother and I have been friends for a couple of years via the internet, and I feel like I know you personally. I just wanted you to know that I prayed for you, your family and your eyes. I am sure that you have recovered completely with your site.
Your friend in Christ,
Vi Pieske

Thank you Vi. I am doing okay, having had three surgical procedures so far on my eye. I appreciate your prayers for me and my family. I’m thankful that I could return to Canada and get these laser treatments done so quickly. Please continue to pray for all of my colleagues and national friends who carry on with the ministry work back in PNG and around the world. Norm